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PHILADELPHIA: 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 

1888. 



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PHILADELPHIA: 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 

1888. 



Copyright, 1888, by J. B. Lippistcott Company. 



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ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



Argentine Republic, sometimes simply called Ar- 
gentina, is a federal republic of South America, taking 
its name from the river La Plata (' River of Silver/ a 
misnomer). It has an area of 1,125,086 sq. m., including 
the unsettled territories on the north and the south, but 
the organised and settled provinces occupy less than one- 
half this area. The whole country is more than ten 
times larger than Great Britain and Ireland taken to- 
gether. The republic is made up of fourteen provinces 
and a number of territories as follows: (1) The coast 
provinces of Buenos Ayres, Santa Fe, Entre-Rios, and 
Corrientes; (2) the Andean provinces of La Rioja, Cata- 
marca, San Juan, and Mendoza ; (3) the central prov- 
inces of Cordoba, San Luis, Santiago del Estero, and 
Tucuman; (4) the northern provinces of Salta and 
Jujuy; (5) the territory of the Pampa; (6) the terri- 
tories of Neuquen, Rio Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, and 
Tierra del Fuego in the south (these together comprising 
the greater part of what is known as Patagonia) ; and 
(7) the northern territories of Misiones, Formosa, and 
Chaco. On the west, the Andes divide this republic 
from Chili; Bolivia bounds the country on the north, 
while Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, and the Atlantic 
Ocean form the eastern limit. The great island-group 
of Fuegia, on the south, belongs partly to this republic 
and partly to Chili. 



4 ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 

The physical features of the country are easily de- 
scribed; except for the sub- Andean foot-hills, and a 
few other local and unimportant hilly or mountainous 
tracts, nearly all the country consists of vast plains or 
pampas. The northern plain region (the Chaco) is in 
part densely wooded ; but most of the Pampas country 
is open, presenting wide ranges of treeless pasture, varied 
by patches of huge thistles and other coarse plants. In 
the Patagonian region there are extensive districts com- 
pletely covered with stones and shingle, interspersed 
with clumps of thorny brushwood, and having in the 
hollows many strongly saline ponds or lakes. 

The native animals include the guanaco, the fox, the 
skunk, the chinchilla, the nutria, the biscacha, and va- 
rious species of ant-eater, armadillo, deer, and peccaries. 
Thousands of wild cattle and horses, descendants of 
stock of Spanish importation, inhabit the remoter dis- 
tricts; but the systematic pasturage of live-stock (the 
main industry of the country) is reducing the range of 
the wild cattle. Bird-life is singularly rich and varied. 
The rhea nandu, or American ostrich, is one of the 
most remarkable species. Humming-birds, parrots, and 
flamingos are among the conspicuous birds. 

The climate in the extreme north is very hot, for it 
lies north of the tropic of Capricorn. The more remote 
southern territories have an extremely bleak, windy, and 
disagreeable climate, but are not really so cold as might 
be expected from their relatively high latitude. But the 
country in general enjoys an equable, temperate, and 
healthful climate. The littoral region is subject to high 
winds, called pamperos, which often extend far out to 
sea. The people of the country are mostly Spanish in 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 5 

their language and descent, but there are many Italians, 
French, and other European immigrants. The Gauchos, 
or herdsmen of the plains, are a hardy and spirited, but 
ignorant race, often of partial Indian descent. Some of 
the Indians of the remote districts have become skilled 
in the rearing of flocks and herds. Agriculture has of 
late been rapidly extended. Wheat, maize, flax, and 
linseed are exported ; but the chief staples of export are 
skins, hides, hair, bones, bone-ashes, horns, phosphorus, 
ostrich-feathers, wool, tallow, dried and salt beef, beef- 
extract, fresh meat (frozen), and live animals. The 
recent great extension of the railway lines lias done 
much to develop the country. The greater part of the 
republic is well watered and highly fertile, but there are 
extensive regions of waste land. The various fruits of 
European culture all find the conditions for growth in 
this country. The imported vine and the apple-tree in 
some places have so spread that they form great thickets, 
and afford much food even to the wild tribes of the south- 
ern territories. Sugar-culture thrives in the NW. and 
north. Wines, spirits, and dried fruits are extensively 
produced ; a valuable product of the north is mate, or 
Paraguay tea. 

The mineral resources of the country are compara- 
tively undeveloped. In the sub-Andean regions, chiefly 
to the NW., some gold, copper, lead (said to be valuable), 
and silver are obtained. Salt, iron, alum, lime, marble, 
cement, and coal, are among the minerals of the country. 
Rich deposits of gold are reported to occur in Patagonia. 

The principal seaport is Buenos Ayres, the capital and 

largest city. Situated on the great La Plata estuary, its 

commerce has been hindered by the shoalness of its 

1* 



6 ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 

water-approaches ; but extensive engineering works 
have in part overcome the difficulties of navigation. 
The Patagonian coast has many large bays, but is very 
dangerous, and is also deficient in good harbour facili- 
ties. The rivers Parana and Uruguay, with their large 
tributaries, are important channels of trade. The prin- 
cipal articles of manufacture are cattle-products, sugar, 
spirits, flour, furniture, &c. The manufacturing indus- 
tries are receiving much attention. The population of 
Buenos Ayres in 1886 was 398,498. Among the other 
large towns are Cordoba (50,000), Rosario (45,000), La 
Plata (26,000), Mendoza, Tucuman (26,000), Corrientes, 
Santa F6, Gualeguay, Gualeguaychu, Parana, Salta, San 
Juan, San Nicolas, and Santiago. Rosario de Santa F6, 
Corrientes, and Parana are important river-ports, and 
the first-named has a very large trade. Ensenada (ad- 
joining the town of La Plata) and Bahia Blanca are sea- 
ports of rising importance. The nearly completed Trans- 
Andean railway will probably divert much of the direct 
trade of Chili to Argentine ports. At present there is 
very little trade and not much overland communication 
with Chili, owing to the difficulty of crossing the high 
intervening mountain-ridges. The commerce of the 
country is very largely with Great Britain and France. 
France purchases over one-fourth of all the Argentine 
exports, and Britain takes about half as much of the 
exports as France. But of the Argentine imports, 
nearly 40 per cent, is received from Great Britain. 
The United States have only a very limited direct 
commerce with the Argentine republic. 

The Roman Catholic is the established religion, but 
others are tolerated. Education is provided for by law, 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 7 

and many schools are sustained at public cost ; among 
them being normal, mining, agricultural, and training 
schools. There are universities at Buenos Ayres and 
Cordoba, and connected with the latter is the national 
astronomical observatory. 

The population of the country in 1869 was 1,736,922; 
in 1882 it was officially estimated at 2,942,000 (less than 
3 to the square mile), of whom 1,907,000 were Argen- 
tines, and no fewer than 339,000 of Italian birth, 
161,000 Spanish (very many of whom are Basques), 
153,000 French, 51,000 English, and 54,000 German 
and Swiss. The large number of Italians is a con- 
spicuous feature of the population. Much of the in- 
crease is due to immigration, nearly 400,000 immigrants 
having entered the country in the five years, 1881-86; 
of whom 70 per cent, were Italians, 10 per cent. Spaniards, 
and 8 per cent. French. 

The government is closely modelled upon that of the 
United States. In the executive, legislative, and judicial 
departments alike, is this resemblance very conspicuous. 
The total debt of the republic amounts to more than 
£42,500,000; and loans have also been negotiated by 
several of the provinces separately. The budget for 
1887 showed an estimated income of £9,700,000, and 
an expenditure of £9,475,000 ; but for some years past 
the annual expenditure has exceeded the annual revenue. 
The army and navy are recruited by voluntary enlist- 
ment. In 1886 the army strength was 8720, including 
a large proportion of officers; and the national guard 
was returned at 347,653. The navy included 3 iron- 
clads, 6 gunboats, 8 torpedo-boats, all of good classes, 
and over 20 other steamers, mostly of a small size. 



8 ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 

In 1886 the length of railway lines open for traffic 
was 3350 miles (extending from Buenos Ayres to Men- 
doza, with a projected extension across the Andes to 
meet the Chilian railways, and to Tucuman), and 815 
miles more were in course of construction. 'Above 
15,000 miles of telegrarjfh-wires stretched through the 
country, and over them about 600,000 messages passed 
within the year. There are about 600 post-offices, and 
the service in 1885 carried over 20,000,000 letters ; and 
15,000,000 newspapers. 

The river La Plata was visited by the Spaniards in 
1516, and the country was colonised in 1535, when 
Buenos Ayres was founded. For many years the coun- 
try was regarded as a part of Peru. The progress of 
the colony was not more hindered by the bloody wars 
which prevailed with the natives for a hundred years, 
than by unwise legislation at Madrid. In 1776 Buenos 
Ayres became the capital of a new viceroyalty. In 1806 
that capital was occupied by a British force under Gen- 
eral Beresford, but the town was soon besieged and com- 
pelled to surrender. In 1808 the British forces under 
Whitelock assaulted the town, but after very severe loss, 
were themselves compelled to capitulate. In 1810 the 
colonists founded a local provisional government. A 
sanguinary war for independence followed, which did 
not cease till 1824. Spain acknowledged the inde- 
pendence of the country in 1842. The first half-cen- 
tury of Argentine autonomy was much disturbed by 
revolutions. The Brazilian-Argentine war against Para- 
guay (1865-70) was interrupted and followed by renewed 
revolts at home. But latterly the great material progress 
of the country has been accompanied by an equally re- 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 9 

markable movement in favour of stability of government 
and the repression of factions. The policy of the gov- 
ernment towards agricultural immigrants is highly lib- 
eral. An interesting colonial experiment has resulted 
in the establishment of the town and territory of Chubut, 
in Patagonia, peopled mainly by Welsh settlers. No other 
South American country has made such widespread and 
rapid improvement as this.* See Mulhall, Handbook of 
the River Plate (1884); M. F. Paz Soldan, Geografia 
Argentina (1885); Lady F. Dixie, Across Patagonia 
(1880); G. Bove, Patagonia Terra del Fuoco (1883); 
and the recent British and American Consular Reports, 
some of which are full of important and interesting 
information. 



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